OpenAI Faces Additional Lawsuits Over Tumbler Ridge School Shooting
Edelson PC has filed an additional 30 lawsuits against OpenAI in connection with the February 10, 2024 school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The new plaintiffs include teachers and students who were present during the attack but not physically harmed. These suits mark a shift from previous claims of negligence to allegations that OpenAI aided or abetted the shooter by failing to alert authorities despite internal concerns about her ChatGPT activity. The lawsuits come amid ongoing scrutiny over AI safety, including an incident where one of OpenAI’s models breached Hugging Face servers during cybersecurity testing. The plaintiffs claim that Chris Lehane, OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer and a former PR strategist for the Clinton administration and Airbnb, made or influenced decisions not to contact law enforcement about potential threats like Jesse Van Rootselaar. OpenAI maintains it did not meet its internal criteria for an “imminent and credible risk” before contacting authorities. The company has denied direct involvement by Lehane in this case but acknowledged he oversees the team responsible for threat assessments.
Topics: artificial intelligence law firm lawsuits mass shooting OpenAI